By Mary Fairchild Pompeii is located south of Italy. The area was originally colonized by the Greeks in the 8th century, and had been inhabited continuously since it was buried by ash from a volcanic eruption in 79 A.D. Mt. Vesuvius was a volcano nearby that was thought to be dormant. Although it erupted unexpectedly,…
Kayaking the Apostle Islands: Kennedys, Native Americans, Religion, and Myth
By Mary Fairchild Paddling around Eagle Island, 2009; the island is protected by Critical Species Natural Area. Last fall, on September 24th, Chequamegon Bay JFK Day marked Kennedy’s visit to the Apostle Islands area thirty years ago (Sept. 24, 1963). Chequamegon was applied to the region by traders and missionaries which derives from a Chippewa(Ojibwe) word, shagwaumikong, meaning soft beaver dam….
Deep Politics in Chicago: Money, Power, and Marilyn
By Mary Fairchild The “Welcome to Chicago” sign at the Indiana border on Chicago’s South Side is within POD surveillance. PODs are surveillance cameras with zoom and 360 degree rotation capabilities for high-crime areas. They are mounted on city light poles to help reduce violent crime and drug dealing. In a recent Chicago Magazine article titled “Why is…
Ladies of the Lake Sea Kayak Symposium: Details, Details, Details
By Mary Fairchild Can you feel the energy in this picture? That’s how our two days looked–everyone was beaming and having a lot of fun. Flickr Pictures Coach Bonnie Perry psyching up our group(above) before we head to the lake on our first day of training at the Ladies of the Lake Sea Kayak Symposium 2013….
Surfing My First Hole at Piers Gorge
By Mary Fairchild Sara Hartman, Ron Laird, Mary Fairchild, Alex Reily, Walter Afable, and Ryan Rushton; Terminal Surfer; July 26, 2013; 1800 CFS. Picture courtesy: Kat Kulchinski. Intentional hole and wave surfing are the bulk of what river runners call play. It means stopping at a river feature and exploring what it has to offer….
SUP on the Mississippi: Locks, Lilies, and…. Surf
By Mary Fairchild Mudd Lake just north of Dubuque 8/6/13; Big River SUPtours; SUP the Mag. It is strange how little has been written about the Upper Mississippi. …Along the Upper Mississippi every hour brings something new. There are crowds of odd islands, bluffs, prairies, hills, woods and villages–everything one could desire to amuse the children….